Bad Eating Habits and How to Break Them

I think we can all admit that we have bad eating habits, whether it’s late-night snacking, junk-food binges or emotional eating. Breaking these habits can be a simple way to promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle, so read on for some helpful tips!

Junk Food: There’s a reason you keep going back to the bag of potato chips or the package of cookies. Studies have found that high-fat and high-sugar foods can be addicting, actually triggering feelings of happiness in us.

The Fix: There’s no reason why you can enjoy your favorite junk food every once in a while. And completely eliminating them from your diet will only make you crave them more. So what’s the secret? MODERATION! Identify what you really want and indulge in it in moderation, a couple of times a week as opposed to every day.

Eating Too Quickly: Thanks to public schools, we’ve been trained to stuff our food down our gullet as quickly as possible, and whether it’s a snack or a full meal, it’s not healthy. Eating too quickly doesn’t give your brain time to catch up with your stomach and trigger the full feeling until you’ve already eaten too much.

The Fix: There are several things you can do to help slow down how quickly you eat your meals. Put your fork or spoon down on the table in between each bite. Take smaller bites, and be sure to chew each bite thoroughly. In addition, drinking water during the meal will help slow you down and fill you up.

Emotional Eating: Many of us use food as a coping mechanism. If we’re stressed at work, upset over a break up or whatever the case may be, we open up the pint of ice cream and eat, and eat, and eat. Both positive and negative emotions can cause people to eat more than they should.

The Fix: Find a new outlet for your emotions. If you’re stressed when you get home from work, take a walk or call an empathetic friend. Find a new way to vent, anything’s an option if it keeps you out of the kitchen!